I am looking to buy a TI this fall. I would like a trailer to go with it, as well as some tramps and fishing gear. My question is, does any of the Hobie stuff ever go on sale? Is there any such thing a a package discount or discounts for accessories bought with the boat? Are any of the deals described above offered at boat shows? I'm not trying to be cheap, but just the boat and trailer (with tax) are approaching $7000, $8000 with just a few accessories. Thanks.

I may be wrong but - I believe Hobie itself does not discount. It seems their dealers are able to offer some savings on year ending or last years overstock though and several people have reported getting good deals at boat shows.

Similarly, making a package deal, you should be able to get some savings at least on the accessories

You can usually find used boat trailers on craigslist fairly cheap. Some simple modifications and you are ready to go. Mine cost $125 plus $30 in hardware and some lumber I had lying around. It's not quite as pretty as the tralex trailers but I can't justify spending seven times as much for pretty. Mine is also ~100 pounds heavier but mine has a full deck to walk on when launching and retrieving.

I am in Afghanistan right now, so I have not been to the dealer in person to ask. I did email a dealer in Annapolis and posed the same questions about a month ago, but I have not received a response from them. I have also considered modifying a trailer, but I would need to find a long one (due to the length of the TI). Weight is a concern for the trailer though, because I would like to be able to pull the trailer to the lake with a 4 wheeler. Thanks for the input so far.

I am in Afghanistan right now, so I have not been to the dealer in person to ask. I did email a dealer in Annapolis and posed the same questions about a month ago, but I have not received a response from them. I have also considered modifying a trailer, but I would need to find a long one (due to the length of the TI). Weight is a concern for the trailer though, because I would like to be able to pull the trailer to the lake with a 4 wheeler. Thanks for the input so far.

Mine's not that bad, I roll it around the garage by hand all the time. The biggest issue is that I have a LOT of tongue weight, compared to the norm for trailers. Normal is 5 to 10%, I likely have 20%. Total load is probally around 400 pounds, which a four wheeler should be able to handle. ### turns out I was a little optimistic about the weight, the trailer weighs 480#, the deck ~150#, and the boat 200#, for a total around 900 pounds! ###

I posted this elsewhere on the forum but:

kayakman7 wrote:

Wow!

Those shiny trailex trailers are nice looking but I can't imagine that they are worth $1200...

I'm proud of my very ugly but very cheap craigslist trailer. I spent $125 on the trailer, $200 for the cradles (bought with the boat and got a slight discount), the wood was laying around the house but say $100, and $30 for the pipe.

and

with the boat on it:and

the deck is made from 3 2x8 rough cut pt lumberthe pipe is 4" schedule 20 and was slightly to large. i carefully heated and melted the pipe till it was the ideal height.

it has 14" rims and 24" diameter tires with bearing buddies already installed.i need to reduce the number of leafs in the springs, it was originally used to haul sail boat 10x heavier than mine.

it took me about a hour to mount the cradles the first time with what was lying around, and about four hours once i decided what i wanted. the deck is great, i never get my feet wet when launching or retrieving the boat.

cheers!

j

on a side note: i did have the cradles mounted to the racks on the truck once. loading the TI that high up is TOUGH. Bought the trailer after the first outing

Nothing wrong with that trailer. I have a side-by-side, so towing should be no trouble. I would be willing to bet the tongue weight could reduced by adjusting the position of the boat a bit. Heavier tongue makes for better highway behavior though. Decisions, decisions...... Are the pipes just for extra support? Nice job, and on a budget. Thanks for the input.

Nothing wrong with that trailer. I have a side-by-side, so towing should be no trouble. I would be willing to bet the tongue weight could reduced by adjusting the position of the boat a bit. Heavier tongue makes for better highway behavior though. Decisions, decisions...... Are the pipes just for extra support? Nice job, and on a budget. Thanks for the input.

You are correct on both counts. I do have extra tongue weight for improved towing, my truck could have the whole load as tongue weight and would be within specs, lol. I can slide the boat back a bit to balance the load and push it around by hand. The pipes are for extra support, I never remove the boat from the trailer except to sail, so I thought the extra couldn't hurt.

FYI, the deck is ss lag bolted to the trailer, 2x4s lagged to the deck then cradles are lagged to the 2x4s.

Hi...first...thanks for your service and return safely. I built my own trailer, I am not sure how to import pictures here yet as this is my first time on here but I can take some photos of it and post them. Its very easy to build one ....I used aluminum and I can handle it so easy with one hand. All you need is a drill press and a chop saw, not that hard to do, and it is as good as any trailer you can buy. I would be happy to help you design and build one, the least we can do for a fellow Vet. You will absolutely love the Hobie....I am 65 (Vietnam Vet) and never had so much fun with a boat. It is so fast and easy to sail. I had never sailed before and got it the frist time I tried it...got the bug and bought one. You could also build the trailer out of wood but it would weigh a lot more, or use a combination of wood and aluminum. I used to design and build aluminum framed geodesic domes so a trailer was duck soup. When do you return home? best to you.john

Hey..sorry for the month-long delay. Been busy here lately and boats and trailers were relocated way in the back of my mind. I would be interested in building a trailer of your design, especially if it will save some $. I don't have a drill press, or a chop saw, so the I may have to purchase some tools (darn!). If it saves money in the end though, it shouldn't matter too much. I bought $5000 worth of materials and equipment 3 years ago and put in about $10,000 worth of lawn, so if I can do it myself and save some money while getting some new tools, I will. hanks for the offer, and thanks for your service.